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The Phoenicians were probably Semitic -- neither Europeans nor Africans |
Before going into the long and, sometimes, controversial origin of the Phoenicians, two things musts be made clear. The Phoenicians do not have their origin in Europe or in Africa. They were neither European nor where they black Africans. Their origin is probably Semitic though some references trace them back to as
far away as India about 10,000 BC. Further, the Phoenician colonies which
spread all over the coastline of the Mediterranean and even the Atlantic
coasts were inhabited by Phoenician Semitic immigrants. No one can claim
that the Phoenicians of North Africa were black or the Phoenicians of Spain,
Gibraltar, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta...etc. were European. Statues, bursts,
and artwork of the Phoenicians are found all over this website and upon
close observation one can clearly see how closely they resemble the inhabitants
of the shores of present day Mediterranean. (Note the images of the young
Phoenician man and woman below). There are some who use the Bible for
genealogical reference and actually believe Biblical characters such
as Noah, Shem, Ham...etc. really existed and thereafter the Semites came
from Shem and the Hamites from Ham...etc. These claims are categorically
rejected and have no basis in purely scientific genealogical studies
of ethnic origins and races. The Bible is about religion and many parts
of the Old Testament should be looked at in that light. The Bible should
not be taken as literally true. It is mostly mythological yet didactic.
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| Information supplied by: "http://phoenicia.org |